#76: Love Plus One by Haircut One Hundred

City: Toronto, ON
Radio Station: CHUM
Peak Month: June 1982
Peak Position in Toronto ~ #4
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ #10
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #37
Peak Position on UK Singles chart ~ #3
Peak Position on French Singles chart ~ #3
Peak Position on Irish Singles chart ~ #5
Peak Position on Australian Singles chart ~ #10
YouTube: “Love Plus One”
Lyrics: “Love Plus One”

Haircut One Hundred were formed in London in 1980. The group consisted of Nick Heyward, Les Nemes and Graham Jones. Born in 1961 in Beckenham, Kent, England, Nick Heyward studied art and photography in high school. He left school at age 16 to become a commercial artist. From 1977, he teamed up with school mate Les Nemes to form a band. They were first known as Rugby, then the Boat Party, Captain Pennyworth and Moving England, before settling on Haircut One Hundred in 1980. Les Nemes was born in 1960 in Croydon, South London, England. Heyward and Nemes moved to London in 1980 where they recruited friend and guitarist Graham Jones. During a meeting brainstorming band name ideas, Heyward suggested Haircut One Hundred and because it was the one “that made us laugh the most” they kept it.

In the following year they added Phil Smith (born in 1959 in Redbridge, Essex, England) on saxophone and brass, Marc Fox (born in 1958 in Recklinghausen, West Germany) on congas and percussion, and Blair Cunningham on drums. Cunningham was born in 1957 in Memphis, Tennessee. He is the brother of Carl Cunningham who was the drummer with the Bar-Kays, and who died in the same small plane accident in a Beechcraft Model 18 aircraft with Otis Redding on December 10, 1967. From the age of 19, Blair Cunningham was a studio musician. This has included work on albums with Denice La Salle, the Detroit Emeralds, Jesse Winchester, Blancmange, The Pretenders on “Don’t Get Me Wrong”, “Hymn To Her” and “My Baby”, Alison Moyet, Paul McCartney, the Indigo Girls and others.

In 1982, Haircut One Hundred released the single “Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)”. It climbed to #4 in the UK. Their next release was “Love Blue One”.

Nick Heyward wrote “Love Plus One”. At one point in the music video Nick Heyward is in a Tarzan outfit swinging on a rope over the band’s tropical set. In the song, the narrator has gone off to the Rhine (valley or river). Marimbas and saxophone solos provide an upbeat contrast to the narrators’ anxiety. He left on his trip without calling his sweetheart to say “goodbye.” He wonders, “where does it go from here? Is it down to the lake I fear?” The lake in this case is a metaphor for a stagnant place, even a place for him to contemplate darker thoughts. Otherwise, why fear the lake? He pulls himself together and tells us “then I call.” The phone rings eight times “ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring.” Without his sweetheart answering the phone, the narrator is left frozen in anticipation. Love plus one is the hope the singer has that he will not be flying solo. But the song ends without anything besides a phone ringing off the hook.

“Love Plus One” peaked at #1 in San Bernardino (CA), #3 in Burbank (CA), #4 in Toronto, Bangor (ME), and Los Angeles, #5 in Ottawa, #7 in Winnipeg (MB), #8 in Montreal, #10 in Kingston (ON), and Vancouver, #13 in San Diego, and #15 in Halifax (NS) and Minneapolis/St. Paul. Internationally, “Love Plus One” peaked at #3 in the UK, #10 in Australia and Canada, and #37 on the Billboard Hot 100.

A third track from Pelican West, titled “Fantastic Day” reached #9 on the UK pop chart, and #12 in Smithers (BC). A bonus track later added to the album, “Nobody’s Fool”, also peaked at #9 on the UK chart. Nick Heyward left Haircut One Hundred sometime after the debut album was released.

Marc Fox took over lead vocals for Haircut One Hundred. A second album, Paint and Paint, failed to result in any more Top 40 hits.

Meanwhile, Nick Heyward released a debut album, North of a Miracle. From the album came “Whistle Down the Wind” which peaked at #13 on the UK pop char. Two more tracks were released as singles: “Take That Situation” reached #11 on the UK pop chart, and “Blue Hat for a Blue Day” made it to #14 on the UK chart. In 1993, Heyward had a Top 5 alternative rock hit in the USA titled “Kite”.

Both Phil Smith and Les Nemes were with the British band Miracle Mile. Les Nemes also did some work as an arranger.

Nick Heyward pursued a solo career and released nine studio albums between 1983 and 2017.

Graham Jones was with the British band Boys Wonder from 1987 to 1991. He also did some session work.

In addition, Nick Heyward, Les Nemes, Graham Jones, Blair Cunningham, Phil Smith, and Marc Fox, reformed as Haircut One Hundred in 2004. They also reunited in 2009 and toured together until 2013. In 2023, Heyward, Nemes, Jones and Cunningham reunited and have been touring since that time. In 2024, Haircut 100 toured the United States and Canada as the opening band for ABC and Howard Jones.

Haircut One Hundred also released their third studio album Boxing the Compass in June 2026. The album reached the Top 40 on the UK pop album chart.

November 11, 2026
Ray McGinnis

References:
Chris Broughton, “‘The song got us signed but I hated it’: how Haircut 100 made Fantastic Day,” Guardian, July 6, 2026.
John Harris, “‘We were banging our heads against a wall – the wall won’: the genius pop and tragic demise of Boys Wonder,” Guardian, October 22, 2024.
Elizabeth Audrey, “Haircut 100 reunite with Nick Heyward to announce first album in 42 years and share funky new single ‘Dynamite’,” New Music Express, October 20, 2025.

“The Rock of Toronto” | CHUM 1050-AM Toronto (ON) | June 19, 1982